On the surface, all three look like huge hits, as they took in reams of money. However, the movies inspired a certain lack of enthusiasm among fans – unlike the “Marvel Cinematic Universe”, the DCEU left many viewers less than enchanted.

All that changed dramatically with 2017’s Wonder Woman - at least in terms of perception. Monetarily, it did a little better in the US than Dawn or Squad, though it ended up around the same take internationally as those two.

However, Woman got vastly superior reviews than the two 2016 DCEU flicks, and it showed much stronger legs. As I write this in mid-September, Woman still plays on some first-run movie screens three and a half months after its release – that doesn’t happen often these days. How much the overall DCEU benefits from the film’s success will be judged in November 2017 with Justice League, but Wonder Woman sure helped endear the series to a wider audience.

Wonder Woman opens with a prologue that takes us to the secret island of Themyscira. There a clan of Amazon warriors prepares to battle the wicked god Ares, a threat to all mankind.

Into this setting arrives a stranger: American military pilot Steve Trevor (Chris Pine). He fights for the Allied forces in World War I, and he winds up on Themyscira due to an accident.

Trevor tells the Amazons that German General Erich Ludendorff (Danny Huston) strives to create a new biological weapon. Amazon princess Diana (Gal Gadot) believes this to be the work of Ares so she goes with Trevor to Europe to battle the enemy.

As I mentioned earlier, Wonder Woman didn’t make a lot more money than its DCEU peers, but I do believe it found a broader audience. The film endeared itself to a wider female crowd than its predecessors – indeed, it came to be seen as something of a feminist manifesto.

I’m not sure the movie deserves that much credit, but I do feel happy that it brought new viewers to the DCEU. As flawed as the first three DCEU movies were, I maintain strong affection for the characters and always hope that the new entries will be good.

Due to all the rave reviews, Wonder Woman came with a level of expectations I didn’t have for the prior three movies. With those, I either knew nothing about their critical reception or I was aware they’d been panned.

On the other hand, I entered Woman with a clear positive preconceived notion. The movie got 92 percent on Rotten Tomatoes – it had to be great, right?

Not really. While I like Wonder Woman, I can’t claim it merits that level of praise. It creates an enjoyable superhero adventure but not one that blows away the competition.

To be honest, I think a lot of the critics reviewed the project as a whole more than the end result. The combination of female superhero and female director led to a lot of hype that the actual movie didn’t really merit.

That said, Woman does provide the best-executed of the DCEU films to date, and it shows a good mix of positives. Gadot’s Wonder Woman doesn’t debut here – we already saw her in Dawn of Justice - but she takes the spotlight well, aided by a strong performance from Gadot.

Admittedly, I think it’s a little silly that the filmmakers forced the other Amazon actors to speak in a way to line up with Gadot’s particular accent, but that becomes a minor distraction at worst. Gadot takes charge of the role and gives Diana the force and impact she needs.

That becomes important because Diana dominates the film in a way not seen in the prior movies. The earlier three DCEU movies spread themselves a bit thin – even Man of Steel seemed to forget it was supposed to be about Superman – so it’s good to find one that concentrates so heavily on its main role.

Gadot inhabits the part well. Perhaps because I grew up with the curvier Lynda Carter model, Gadot doesn’t “look like” Wonder Woman as much as I might expect, but she offers a nice sense of charisma and heart.

Gadot also refuses to “play down” to the part. She never winks at the material and offers the role the substance it needs.

Pine also creates a good sidekick for Diana. He and Gadot demonstrate a nice easy chemistry, and they help sustain the viewer’s attention through the film’s slow spots.

Of which we get a few more than I’d like, unfortunately. At 141 minutes, Wonder Woman can drag at times, and the absence of a real focus on the villain hurts it.

I’m fine with the film’s extended introduction. Comic book fans know the character’s origins, but the wider audience that comes to movies needs to know about Diana’s background, and director Patty Jenkins ensures all the exposition and Trevor’s introduction go down painlessly.

Wonder Woman occasionally stumbles once Diana and Trevor get to Europe, though, as the film lacks real thematic clarity. While we understand that Diana’s main goal is to confront Ludendorff and stop him, the story winds its way there in a manner that feels less coherent than it should.

That’s where some editing might have helped. As implied earlier, 141 minutes seems a bit long, so perhaps a tighter version of the tale would’ve left it more involving.

Even so, I still find a lot to like about Wonder Woman. it gives us a fairly exciting action experience that benefits from quality acting to turn into a solid “origin story”. I hope Justice League allows the DCEU to continue its nascent winning streak.

The Disc Grades: Picture A-/ Audio A-/ Bonus B

Wonder Woman appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.40:1 on this 4K UHD Disc. This turned into a terrific presentation.

Overall sharpness seemed strong. Virtually no softness impacted the image, so it remained tight and concise. I saw no shimmering or jaggies, and both edge haloes and print flaws remained absent.

Like every other modern action movie, Wonder Woman opted for a heavy orange and teal orientation. These choices might be tedious but the 4K UHD depicted them in an appropriate manner.

Blacks showed good depth, and shadows offered nice clarity and smoothness. In the end, the movie provided excellent visuals.

In addition, Wonder Woman brought us a stellar Dolby Atmos soundtrack. Downconverted to Dolby TrueHD 7.1, the soundscape opened up best when it indulged in its many battle sequences.

These used the various channels in a vivid, immersive manner that placed the elements in logical spots and meshed together well. The track gave us a strong sense of place and action.

Audio quality also pleased. Speech remained natural and distinctive, while music was full and rich. Effects came across as accurate and dynamic, with tight low-end. I liked this mix quite a lot.

How did the 4K UHD version compare to the standard Blu-ray? Both provided identical Dolby Atmos soundtracks, but the 4K disc boasted improved definition, with bolder colors, deeper blacks and smoother shadows. It offered a nice step up in picture quality.

This package includes a Blu-ray copy of the film, and that’s where we find all its extras. We open with Epilogue: Etta’s Mission, a two-minute, 41-second clip that shows what happens to Trevor’s assistant Etta and his mercenaries after the war. Nothing substantial occurs, but it offers a bit of fun.

“Crafting” looks at story/character areas, cast and performances, cinematography and visual design, costumes, props, locations and sets, and Jenkins’ impact on the production. Though it seems more than a little fluffy at times, “Crafting” hits a lot of important topics and gives us a fairly good array of details.

Though the title alludes to the relationship among Wonder Woman, Batman and Superman, “Trinity” focuses mainly on Wonder Woman. This results in a mix of decent notes.

During The Wonder Behind the Camera, we find 15 minutes, 34 seconds with Roven, Jenkins, Gadot, Deborah and Zack Snyder, Wright, Bonetto, Pine, Nielsen, Suckle, Lynch-Robinson, Hemming, first AD/co-producer Tommy Gormley, executive producers Rebecca Steel Roven and Wesley Coller, visual effects producer Amber Kersch and co-producer Curtis Kanemoto. We get notes about Jenkins and other members of the crew. It’s more than a little self-congratulatory but it has a smattering of good takes.

In this program, the participants reflect on personality facets such as courage, empathy and strength. It seems like generic self-help material without a lot of depth.

Five Extended Scenes follow : “Boat Conversation” (3:37), “Selfridges Shopping” (2:07), “Parliament Steps” (1:13), “Morning at the Train Station” (1:13) and “Charlie Never Sleeps” (0:54). We also get an Alternate Scene called “Walk to No Man’s Land” (1:04).

I hoped the package would include some fully deleted scenes, and these extended/alternate pieces don’t make me forget their absence. The extra material provides a smattering of added character information/beats, but none of them boast much impact.

The package concludes with a Blooper Reel. This five-minute, 37-second compilation shows the usual array of silliness and mistakes. It’s forgettable.

The disc opens with a preview for Justice League. It lacks the trailer for Wonder Woman.

A major hit that revitalized the DC Extended Universe, Wonder Woman doesn’t quite live up to the hype. Still, it offers a solid adventure that brings the title character to the big screen in a satisfying manner. The 4K UHD offers excellent picture and audio along with a generally satisfying collection of supplements. This becomes an enjoyable action flick.